A New Perspective
by OverlordMiles
Summary: Dave, being the bold, adamant, and naive person he is accepts a challenge from his brother, Dirk, the king. Survive 30 days without entering the castle, and be rewarded with 500,000 British pounds. Dave has a harder time than he expected, and starts to miss the luxuries of living in the castle. The only thing keeping him from caving are the people he meets along the way.
1. The Challenge

"Mister Strider, use your salad fork, not your entree fork. We've been over this countless times. If you want to remain in this castle with King Dirk, you at least have to make an effort to learn proper high-class etiquette." Dave moaned. "Come on, dude, why can't I just eat the normal way?" The man assisting Dave scoffed. "You want to eat like the commoners? Ludicrous! Why would anybody want to be anything like them?" Dave shrugged. "I just don't think I like living like this. It's not my style. Plus, what's so wrong with the commoners?" The man's eyes widened. Seeing that Dave was genuine, he was in pure shock. "You ignorant scum. Commoners are dirty, cheap, lying scoundrels and us royals try to have as little contact with them as possible." Dave kept sedate. "Do you have any personal experience with them?" The man reluctantly shook his head.

"Now, Mister Strider, I suggest you continue your lesson before this comes out of hand-" Dave interrupted him. "Look Jake, I don't give a flying f*** whether you have a relationship with my brother, or about your opinion about commoners. My level of interest in your lesson is practically zero. Now if you would excuse me, I'm going up to my bedroom where I don't have to learn about which fork to use, because it doesn't f***ing matter." Then, Dave stormed out of the room, leaving Jake in shock. He immediately went to consult with his boyfriend.

"Jake? What is the matter?" Jake clenched his hands into fists. "It's your younger brother, David. He is not complying with my lesson. He said he would rather eat like a... a..." Jake whispered, "Commoner." Of course, Jake was much more furious about it that Dirk was, but Dirk decided that his brother did need some discipline. "Well how about this?" Dirk looked at him. Jake paused, his face still red from scowling. "Give him a deal." Then, Dirk got up and put his hands on Jake's shoulders. He seemed to calm down. "If he can survive a month outside the castle, in no contact with us or other nobles, then give him 500,000 pounds." Jake's jaw dropped. That was quite a hefty amount. Jake sighed. "Well I guess it would convince him." Then, Dirk pecked Jake on the cheek. "I love you." Jake repeated the motion to Dirk. "See you in a few minutes." And then, he left to Dave's room.

* * *

**1.5 US Dollars = 1 British Pound.**

* * *

Dave was drawing with his paper and quill when there was a knock on the door. "Which a**hole is here now?" Dave then heard a loud "Jake." Dave sighed and opened the door. "What the f*** do you want?" Jake then spoke up. "Dirk has proposed a deal for you." Dave replied with, "What kind of deal?"

"Let me give you the parameters."

"Since you have such a high opinion of the lower class, Dirk and I agreed that if you stay for one whole month outside the castle, including today, he will reward you with a hefty 500,000 pounds."

Dave chuckled. "Deal, that's easy."

Jake shushed him. "There's more."

"You can only bring 20 pounds with you, and a set of clothing in which I have already picked out. No talking to other noble families, or we'll know about it. Only upon filling those will you receive the cash reward."

Dave thought for a second. It was harder now, with the pound limit, but he sighed and said, "I'll take it."

Then, Jake handed him some long trousers, a white t-shirt, a vest, and a hat. Of course, Dave got to keep his infamous aviators. Dave took the 20 pounds from his personal stash of around 10,000 pounds. Jake gave a silent 'Yeessss!' as Dave walked out his room to the throne room. He and Dirk locked eyes, and Dirk knew that he took the deal. The two nodded simultaneously as Dave started to walk to the massive double-doors in the front of the castle. He took a deep breath and then pushed both of them open, looking down the hill at the town he was about to live in for a month. Well, considering he survived.

* * *

Dirk, even though he knew his brother was strong, was bound to crack after a week. He knew it. And it was the solitary reason he made it. Although his brother was lively, he was disobedient. It was a problem that could only be surpassed in specific ways. And this was his.


	2. Books and Sleeping

**Day 1 continued...**

**Recap- Dave has just accepted the deal to survive 30 days outside the castle with only about the same amount in US dollars.**

**Injuries- None**

**Current Balance- 20 pounds**

**Days Remaining: 29**

Dave walked down the path from the castle to the town. It curved and twisted, like a snake slithering down the hill. He passed the gardeners without being noticed. The gatekeeper at the bottom respectfully opened the door for him, much like he did for everyone permitted. He was now in the section of nobles right outside the castle, where Dave could not stay. He then passed another gate, where he was then released into the actual city itself. The city was very expansive, and Dave was debating on where to go. His pounds, he decided, should be spent strictly for food. Considering a normal loaf of bread was a pound, he could make it through 20 days eating a meager sum of bread, which was probably the cheapest and most widespread food. Dave figured he could probably eat one loaf of bread every other day and in the middle make a minor feast for himself. And with that, he decided to explore the town, where he had almost never been.

Dave when someone pushed him. "Hey! I'll have you know, my br-" Then he paused. "Never mind." Dave felt that he couldn't reveal his identity to anyone. Sure, Dirk was a good bro, but everyone has differing views on politics. He kept walking while weaving through people, constantly being pushed into walls. He got forcefully shoved into a few walls, and it took most of his being not to pick a fight with someone on the first day. Dave had to be cautious if he were ever going to get the 500,000 pounds. Well, that was important, but the most important thing was proving that damn Jake that he could too live with the commoners.

Dave went off the main road to find a small library. The owner was a burly white man who looked like he could easily pound someone into the ground. Yet, he cordially greeted Dave. He politely asked him how his afternoon was. The shopkeeper smiled at Dave's manners and, upon hearing that Dave had never been there before, started to show him around. Although there wasn't much to show around, considering there was the perimeter that was crammed with bookshelves and there were three columns of books in the center. The only other things were a counter where the man stood and a dirty couch parallel to it. Dave finished his tour, and a picked a random adventure book. Then, he sat down alone on the couch and started to read. Dave was amazed at how exciting the book was, considering all he ever read at the castle were books on castle history.

Dave had finished 4 chapters, where a dragon (which Dave was surprised to find out was a large, flying, scaly reptile) had burned a village and a group of knights were grouping together to kill it. Then, he decided to talk to the librarian again. Dave pretty much asked him about his life. He listened while continuing to read the book. The Librarian was born in Russia, then moved to their relatives in England. He then found this town, realized how much he liked literature, and started buying books. It was pretty cliche, but interesting nonetheless.

By the time he finished chapter 12, which was a little more than halfway, the Librarian told him he was closing up. "Do you want to check out the book?"

Dave shook his head. "Nah, I'll just meet you here at opening and read it. That okay with you?" The Librarian nodded. "What's your name by the way?"

The Librarian told him, "Equius. Equius Zahhak. And yours?" Dave figured there was no harm in revealing his actual name, so he said, "Dave." Of course, he had to remove the surname. Then, he exited the Library, leaving the book with a bookmark on the table. He waved to Equius as he headed deeper into the city.

He then had to search for a place to sleep that wasn't in the middle of the road. He quickly walked, gazing down alleyways. The sun started to set, and Dave quickened his pace. He struggled to find an alleyway that wasn't wet, dirty, or small. Sadly, he might have been greedy in his results. Ten minutes of searching later, he had still found nothing. In desperation, he started running back. He would have to stay in a dirty alleyway. It was that or be drenched or out in the open. He reached a location near 3 minutes of the library, at least from what Dave estimated. He never thought the town was so large, or so dirty. He had some minor Jake feelings about the commoners and their land.

Still though, he felt some pity.

Finally, he turned into an alley that was shaped like a reverse 'L'. Dave was exhausted, cold, and somewhat hungry. He tossed himself down on the dirt floor. It really didn't help that the ground was colder than Dave was himself. He needed to sleep though, energy would be everything for the whole month. He could admit he was wrong and get laughed at by Jake, and not become much richer, but decided against it. Dave considered this a test of manhood. With that sense of optimism, his situation was much less grim. He smiled.

* * *

Dave had been attempting to sleep for over an hour now. He was shivering, alone, in the alley. As much as Dave tried to sleep, it worked exactly the opposite. He was seriously considering going back to suffer superiority from Jake. Dave thought of a warm bed, a hot meal, some tea, and possibly a rare bath. Dave was shivering furiously now. It was becoming hard to think, his fingers, toes, and ears were numb, and his nose was completely stuffed. He sneezed, but it was very weak, just like the rest of his being. Maybe he could use the pounds for a jacket? Food was good, but the cold was unbearable. Then, Dave became thirsty. It was ironic that he wanted water even though it was so cold outside. Irony was such a devil sometimes. Dave again shifted his thoughts to home, and the everyday luxuries he always had. He could enjoy light, food, heat, servants, his br...


	3. Equius is Generous

**Day 2**

**Recap- Dave fell asleep curled into a ball in an alleyway. Yesterday, he met the Librarian, Equius Zahhak.**

**Injuries- None**

**Current Balance- 20 pounds**

**Days Remaining: 28**

**BTW, the bread is so cheap because everyone was growing wheat and plain bread was mildly disgusting. Butter cost more than the bread did itself. Just to clear that up.**

**More HS characters introduced this chapter, and more will be to come.**

Dave woke up, completely still. His head was pounding and the only thing he felt was sheer cold. His limbs were weak and he felt really tired. He struggled to get himself up, and it took him a hefty five minutes to do so. Even when he was up, it was difficult to walk straight. Dave dizzily walked back to the palace. He took a left turn before the gate and hopped down some rocks to reach the castle's main source of water- the river. He went to a tiny waterfall and put both of his hands weakly together, cupping and sipping water from his hands. Now Dave was even more chilled than before. He started shivering again and needed to get a source of heat. Then, he decided to visit the library. Maybe there would be a fireplace there or something.

After walking down the street for another ten minutes, he reached the library. He opened the door to be blasted with heavenly warmth. He gave a happy sigh as he said, "Good morning!" to Equius. He looked up from his book and waved. His book was still there, the same place it was before. Dave enjoyed the fire from the nearby fireplace that he didn't notice before. And man, was he glad it was there.

At about lunchtime, Equius closed the library temporarily for an hour or so. During this, Dave decided that he wanted to buy some kind of jacket. The best quality were at the front of the town, near the castle, but Dave didn't need the best quality. He needed something besides his normal shirt. He went into the 'Slums', as Jake had called it. Of course, Jake was the prissy soon-to-be husband to the King, and called the common people Knaves.

The place Dave was at now had no lighting, a dirt path, and the houses were very small, probably 300 square feet each. Families were huddling around tiny fires and dividing slices of poorly baked bread. Several children and elderly laid, grimacing and ill, in piles of hay that were poor excuses for beds. Dave knew, for a fact, that he would have to talk with Dirk about putting some effort into fixing up the worse parts of town.

Finally, Dave noticed a wooden square nailed to a small building that had a spool of thread and a needle on it. It was probably painted years ago, at least that's what the faded coloring told Dave. He entered the door to see a tall woman wearing a black t-shirt with a red and slightly worn dress. "Hello, welcome to my Tailor Shop. I'm Kanaya, how may I help you?" Dave greeted her, and looked at her selection. For her position in society, her clothes were very high quality. Dave picked up a red jacket with a red cape and asked, "How much?"

"Oh, well, my work isn't very good, so I'll sell it to you for one pound..."

Dave shook his head. He plopped 5 pounds down on the table. "With this quality, 1 pound ain't gonna cut it. Take 5." Kanaya stood there with a shocked look on her face as Dave exited the room, wearing the new jacket. Then, Dave noticed how hungry he was. He walked back into the nicer areas of town to find a bakery. He eventually came across one, named "Jane's Patisserie" All of the pastries were 2 for 1 pound, and all of the loaves of bread were one pound. There was a lot in stock. There was no line, and the only two people there were facing each other in the corner. Dave ordered a loaf of bread, sat down in the bakery, and started to eat it raw. Passers-by gave Dave weird looks as he ate his bread without butter, and without cutting it. Dave didn't care.

Dave then went back to the library, which was not open yet. Dave did one thing that he was never allowed to do in the castle, lick his lips and fingers. Even though there was dirt on his hands, he didn't care. Sanitary hadn't mattered to him for a day now. Then, he looked up to see Equius. They both waved at each other. Equius opened the door, and Dave read his book. Someone walked in an hour or so later, and started speaking some foreign language Dave didn't know. Surprisingly enough, Equius started speaking the same language back. The two had a whole conversation and then the man picked up a book, showed it to Equius, then walked out. Dave asked him,

"What language is that?"

"German."

"Huh."

Dave thought about that for a second.

"Do you think I should learn a secondary language?"

"You don't already have one?"

"Nope."

"I recommend it then."

"What other languages do you know?"

"Spanish and French."

"Damn, that's a lot."

"Most adults know that much. Maybe not German, but Spanish and French."

Dave put down his book. He was finished. "Well I conveniently just finished my book. I'm going to learn Italian."

"Why?"

"No idea."

"Okay then."

Dave searched the library until he came across an Italian book. He picked it up and resumed his previous position, only to be asked a question by Equius.

"I have a question, if you don't mind me asking."

"What is it? It's probably fine."

"Why do you read the books here?"

"For the company."

"Heh, good one. Seriously though."

"I don't have anywhere to take the books to."

"Oh."

Equius thought for a second, then asked, "Would you like to sleep here at the library?"

Dave's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Equius nodded.

Dave nodded furiously.

Equius laughed. He then said, "I'm leaving. If anyone breaks in, you have every right to beat them up."

Dave threw some practice punches and then said, "I'm ready."


	4. The Mission For The Stew

**Day 3**

**Recap- Dave bought a jacket from Kanaya, a tailor. Equius let Dave sleep at the library.**

**Injuries- Minor Cuts and Bruises. Nothing important worth noting. **

**Current Balance- 14 pounds**

**Days Remaining: 27**

Dave woke up laying on the couch he had before. The library was a surprisingly comfortable place to stay. It gave a warm environment, both mentally and physically. The fire was still burning, making the room sufficiently warmer than the air outside was. Equius wasn't here yet, and upon removing the curtains he noticed that the sun was hardly up. He took one of the candles an started to read the Italian book, hoping to learn the language by the end of the 30 day challenge. He didn't even notice when Equius opened the door. He only looked up when he heard Equius greet him.

"Did you stay up all night learning?"

Dave chuckled. "No man, I need my beauty sleep."

Equius rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever man."

Dave continued reading the book. Equius picked up a book too. There was a slip of paper in the book. It was some kind of notice that Equius had given himself. Equius picked it out and looked at it.

_Horuss coming at 12:00. Make sure to make lunch preparations and clean up. Very important._

"S***!" Equius yelled, making Dave jump. He looked at Equius who started sweating. "What's wrong?" Dave said, with a look of concern.

"My brother is coming today, I'm supposed to show him the library. I gotta run the library, but I have to get lunch. I can't close it now, but I can't leave..." Then, a thought came into his head.

"Dave can you go get some lunch later? I can't make two lunch breaks in a row... I'll pay you. This is really important."

Dave shrugged. "Sure. What do you guys want?"

Equius paced the room, thinking. "As long as it's not plain bread, we should be fine. I'm pretty sure neither of us actually care, but plain bread is just disgusting."

Dave silently chuckled.

Then, Equius went into the minuscule closet that Dave didn't even know existed. The only things in there were a chair, a dagger mounted on the wall, and a painting lying there diagonally. He took a chair and put it across from his desk, very close to the entrance of the library. He adjusted it so that it was in a reasonable position. He then put on his reading glasses. Dave couldn't help but chuckle. Equius glared at him. "Why is that funny?"

"Because you look like a dork."

Equius rolled his eyes at the young man's comment. "Yeah, whatever."

After that, Dave went back to the book while Equius neatened everything up and dusted pretty much everything, regardless of whether it needed it or not. Dave had already learned a few words, like Ciao (Hello), Si (Yes), Non (No), and Grazie (Thank You). Other that that, he was just working on pronunciation. At about eleven, Dave was given 5 pounds and was told to get a meal for the two. He then handed Dave 2 pounds for his own personal use as payment. Dave left and went to the same bakery he went to yesterday. Instead of bread, Dave noticed a sign that put a discount on stew. He bought a whole pot for 4 pounds and 2 chicken pot pies for 1 pound. He then carried the food back.

When he arrived, Dave set the stuff down on the empty part of the desk. Equius was satisfied with Dave's choices. Dave nodded and decided that he was going to get another loaf of bread with one of the two pounds he had received from the librarian. He walked out to see a man in a leather mask with two eyeglasses in it walking towards the library. He was also wearing a leather suit. Assuming it was Horuss, he walked back to the bakery and ordered another loaf of bread. He ate this one more slowly, looking to waste some time. People still gave him weird looks. He ignored them. Then, he walked back to the library, where the two were just finishing up. Equius introduced him to Horuss. He could see the resemblance.

Horuss said he was an inventor, attempting to create a flying machine. It seemed like a very interesting concept. The three chatted for a while, and he found Horuss to be quite likable. Equius and Horuss left to the Zahhak household, and Dave stayed up for a bit learning Italian. Dave was having high hopes for the future, this challenge was a lot easier than he thought it would be. Especially with people like Equius. After Dave had started getting tired, he put a bookmark in the book and laid down on the couch. He stared at the ceiling. The best part was, he was simultaneously proving Jake wrong while doing so, which amplified the feeling. Man, it would feel so great to prove Jake wrong. And of course, the money was important, but the Jake part would be completely priceless.

* * *

Dirk got off his throne and was confronted by Jake. He followed Dirk to his room, considering it was very late. He whispered to him, "Dirk, I think we should get married soon." Dirk stopped walking and looked at him. "Not until Dave comes back. And trust me, it shouldn't be long now. He'll see how rewarding it is to be of royal lineage and come begging back to us, eager to learn, fearing the world outside. My bet is that he breaks down on Day 7. And it's already Day 3. Once he comes back, we'll announce our marriage to him. Understood?"

Jake nodded.

Even though it was painstakingly obvious of the relationship the two had, they couldn't sleep together. That would give the whole kingdom the right to call him a slut, considering the news got out. The two had to be safe anyway. They shared a room, but different beds. That would all change. According to the King's predictions, it would in four days.


	5. Dave Does Something Productive?

**Sorry for not updating my other stories. Saturday, I had to go to the Statewide Championships in Sacramento for my Lego Robotics team. The day after that, I was sick and felt like crap. I got today off, however, for teacher in service day. Also, thank you to Braincake for reviewing. I'll do review responses or whatever here...**

**Braincake: No, YOU'RE amazing. Lol.**

**Story time!**

**Are you ready?**

**(Skee daddy it's time for da LIGHTNING ROUND!)**  
**lele mad money reference mai dad watches it all da tiem^**

**And yes, it is depressing to be referencing a show about the Stock Market. I'm sorry, senpai.**

* * *

**Day 4**

**Recap- Dave got 2 pounds for getting lunch for Equius and his brother Horuss, who was visiting. Dave is also learning Italian.**

**Injuries- Minor Cuts and Bruises. Nothing important worth noting. Bruises starting to fade.**

**Current Balance- 15 pounds (Wow, he gained one! :P)**

**Days Remaining: 26**

Dave woke up to Equius opening the door. He quickly got up and pretended to be awake. Equius gave him a subtle, "Good morning," before sitting down behind the desk. Dave continued learning Italian out of the book. As of now, he was learning colors. The book gave him a chart to help with the memorization.

Black- Nero  
White- Bianco  
Red- Rosso  
Blue- Azzurro/Blu  
Yellow- Giallo  
Green- Verde  
Orange- Arancione  
Purple- Porpora  
Pink- Rosa  
Brown- Marrone  
Gray- Grigio

Dave said the words out loud as he read them from the paper. After he got them down, he continued to the next chapter. After Dave had read the book for two hours straight, Equius broke him from his reading trance with a few knocks on the table in front of him. He put the book down and looked at Equius. "Hey, wanna get lunch? I'll pay."

"You sure man?"

"Yeah, I got to talk with you about something."

"Okay then, sounds good."

"Let's go then."

The two walked out to what Equius called a 'restaurant'. Dave had been to the bakery and had heard of butchers before, but never a restaurant. Equius explained that you sat down at a table, ordered a meal, and they would bring it to you. Dave got some minor nostalgia about how the servants brought food to him from the castle. This time though, he was getting the food honestly, and not from his father's massive fortune. And for some reason, he felt proud. He had made a friend, not royalty, who treated him better than his brother had in the past few years. Ever since his father had died, Dirk turned into a political beast instead of a role model older brother. The only thing that separated the two was that Dirk had a mutual relationship, where his father had forced females to reproduce with him. Dave would never even consider doing that.

Dave and Equius decided to share what was called a 'pizza'. It was an Italian food that consisted of tomato sauce on dough with cheese and other miscellaneous toppings. Dave liked the idea of that, he was never really exposed to foreign foods. After the order was placed, Equius started to talk with him.

"So, there's a reason why I brought you here."

"Hmmm? What is it?"

"Well, you see, sometimes it's hard to work the library alone, so I'm thinking of hiring you.

"That would be great! Do I need any training or anything?"

"Just some minor stuff. Standard protocol."

Dave thought the job would be great, but realized that he would only work on it for the rest of his challenge. Then, he would be back to normal life. Even then, it would give him a boost so that he could buy his own stuff, and maybe get something besides pure bread for his meals.

"So what will I be doing?" Dave inquired.

"Well, basic stuff like sorting books, translating from Italian visitors, fetching certain items from other stores, running the library while I'm gone, and the related."

Then, the pizza arrived. It was cut into a triangle-like shape, which Dave found interesting for a food. After it had successfully cooled, Dave took a bit. It was unlike anything he had ever tasted before. The crust was fluffy, the sauce zesty, and the cheese was very rich. Dave had devoured half of the pie by the time Equius had finished his second slice. He had some water and then waited for Equius. He finished another slice before the waiter came and asked if they wanted dessert. The two ordered Almond pudding, which came shortly after. It was delicious, especially because it had a subtle hint of vanilla, which had a great taste but cost a lot, so most people couldn't order it. It was in a number of Dave's meals.

After Equius paid 6 pounds for the meal, the two went back to the library, where Equius instructed Dave on the variety of jobs he would be performing when working in the library. Since Equius only got money off of lost books, over dues, and occasionally selling a book, he could only offer Dave 2 pounds a day. That was more than enough for him. By the time Equius had to leave, Dave was more or less briefed, and could probably run the library for a bit. Dave learned a bit more Italian, then blew out the candle he was using and fell asleep a few minutes after.

* * *

_Blood. Not droplets, not a minor cut, but a waterfall of blood was falling from his chest. The pain was excruciating, utterly unbearable. His eyes were clamped shut, unwilling to see what would cause such suffering to him. He wanted to scream out, get any kind of assistance whatsoever, but his throat was coarse and all that came out was a weak, "Help..." Then, his head was launched backwards, and a migraine brutally assaulted his cranium. Pain pulsed through his head as he flipped, his head hitting a very solid object. He gave out a small groan before losing his consciousness. And then, it was gone._


	6. First Day o' Work

**Dang, short chapter. Sorry guys. It was an average work day, so I could only put so much. I generally try to at least breach 1k words, but that didn't happen. Hope you guys will forgive me. :P**

**Another note- I added the final scene so ignore the text above. Lol.**

* * *

**Day 5**

**Recap- Dave has been offered a job at the library. He is also learning Italian.**

**Injuries- Minor Cuts and Bruises. Nothing important worth noting. Bruises almost faded.**

**Current Balance- 15 pounds **

**Days Remaining: 25**

Dave woke up to Equius knocking on the door. He opened it up, and Equius came in. After exchanging the usual 'good mornings', Equius gave Dave a small to-do list.

-Dust out any cobwebs or any other visible messes.  
-Find me a tailor to get me some summer wear. I have fur coats from Russia, but I'm short on summer stuff. 4 pounds attached to do so.  
-Man the library while I get lunch. You'll get your own lunch break too, but the library won't close at all in the middle of the day.  
-Keep working on Italian! I'll need you to be fluent.

That's all, Dave.

~Equius

Then, Dave picked up a feather duster for the most obviously boring part of the day. He got some cobwebs that were in corners on the ground, but wasn't able to reach the ones on the top. He picked up a chair and then successfully reached one of the webs. Then, he went to the two other corners, successfully removing the spooky webs. The final one was in front of the room, over Equius' desk. He got on the chair, then on the desk. Then, he reached up to knock the cobweb down when he realized that one of his legs was on a book. The book slid under his foot, and Dave quickly lost his balance. He fell backwards...

right into Equius' arms.

The two stared at each other for a second, and then Equius gently pushed Dave up. The two looked at each other again, and Equius put his hand on Dave's shoulder. He said, "Be careful. I can't lose you, at least not on your first day."

Dave lightly nodded.

Then, Dave went back into the darker parts of town, back to where Kanaya worked. Of course, he remembered to wear his jacket, to show he was using her product. After walking the ten minutes he had to last time, he came again to the sign with the needle and the threat. He cut in to see Kanaya cradling a baby. She set her down and welcomed him.

"Hello, welcome to my tailor shop. How may I help you?"

"What do you have in terms of summer wear?"

"Light clothes...hm. Let me look in the back. The stuff out here is what's in season."

"Will do."

Kanaya opened the door and went into the back room, which Dave saw contained some needles, thread, and a pile of clothes lying in the corner, all with miscellaneous different clothes. She picked one up before bringing it to Dave. He looked at the black shirt. It had short sleeves with a cross, but the cross had an arrow protruding the top. The blue symbol complemented the black, giving it an interesting color scheme. Dave thought Equius would like it, so he asked about the price.

"Uhh, I guess a pound. It's really not much, and it's out of season, so..."

Dave put the four pounds down on the table. Instantly, Kanaya remembered this man. As Dave walked out, she graciously took the four pounds. Because of this man, she had been able to feed her family, which was literally a luxury for her. They had been able to eat bread and butter, instead of starving or stealing food from someone else. And she had never known that her work was great, she kind of just arbitrarily made pieces of clothing and charged people a pound for it, because anything was helpful. But then, this man had given her extra, and then again, and she was astonished. She cradled the baby, silently thanking this man.

After he made the ten minute walk back, he showed Equius the shirt, which Dave was relieved that he liked. He tried it on, and it fit him very well. He then folded it up and put it on the counter, because he would pack it up once the day was over to bring it back to his house. Then, Dave worked the library for an hour once Equius was on his lunch break, and he didn't have to do anything because only three people came in, none of which checked out a book. Equius came back, was notified there were no new books being checked out, and Dave went to get his daily bread. After receiving the usual number of stairs, he walked back to accomplish the final task on his list, which was work on his Italian. Dave resumed his usual schedule reading the book. Soon enough, it was dark, and Equius left with his shirt. Dave fell asleep on the couch, words of Italian flooding around his head.

* * *

Dirk sat in his room, running his robe lightly through his fingers. The soft fabric was very expensive, like pretty much everything Dirk had. Jake walked into the room, while Dirk continued his work, not turning to look at him.

"What's wrong? You don't look like your usual self."

"Am I my usual self nowadays?"

"I guess, no..."

"Yeah. Everything seems to quiet without Dave though. Even though I know he'll be back in two days, I'm still sensing a mild feeling of guilt for letting him do that. I miss him."

Jake nodded. "Yeah, as annoying as he is, he's still quite a great fellow."

Then, Jake walked up to Dirk, pecked him on the cheek, and went to take a bath somewhere else. Since there were three rooms with bathtubs in them, Dirk wasn't completely sure. Then, Dirk got out a flimsy sheet of paper and his feather and quill. After lightly dashing the quill in the ink, he set off to write.


	7. Dave is Thirsty

***Deal with it, losers.**

**While Equius and Horuss are brothers, Kanaya's mother is Porrim.**

**And if my medical standards are completely unreasonable, sorry about it. It isn't broken, so I figured it might be better relatively quick.**

**Took me a bit to upload this because I'm sick.**

**Yeah Patriots! Way to win it! Thanks for the 10 bucks!**

**Day 6**

**Recap- Dave worked at the library yesterday, earning 2 pounds, one of which he used for food. Dirk and Jake are expecting his arrival tomorrow.**

**Injuries- Used to have bruises, but they are hardly visible now.**

**Current Balance- 16 pounds**

**Days Remaining: 24**

Dave moaned as he woke up off the floor. For whatever reason, the blanket was all messed up, and Dave had left his normal position. He got up and rubbed his eyes. Dave decided that the best way to properly wake up was to either have coffee, or drink cold water. Coffee was a pain to make, and he didn't have the proper ingredients, so he went down to the water without his coat. It was indeed very cold as he first put his hand in the water. Then, he managed to accumulate enough courage to do the same with the other hand. He leaned over the water, his back in an arch shape. He then decided that would be enough, so he used the rock to push himself back onto the other bank.

Dave then attempted to climb the hill back to the library. He hopped from rock to rock, nearing the top. As he went to jump, his foot slipped on a rock, and his shin painfully kicked a rock. Blood started to drip as he stumbled backwards. Several more cuts formed as he landed with a large splash in the freezing river. He sat there a moment or two, out of shock. Then, he clambered out of the riverbank as quickly but carefully as possible. After that, he continued to climb up the rocks with his one leg dangling behind him. After reaching the top, he crawled back in the general direction of the library. Once Equius knocking on the door came in sight, Dave yelled.

"HELP!"

Equius yanked his head to see the bloody mess known as Dave. He quickly ran over, scooped Dave up, and started running deeper in town. After three minutes of running, the two found Kanaya's tailor shop. Dave yelled, "Go in there!" as he pointed towards Kanaya's establishment. Equius opened the door to see Kanaya shocked at Dave's wounds.

"Ma'am! Do you know a doctor?"

Kanaya led the two out to the house behind the tailor shop. Kanaya pointed at an older woman, seemingly her mother. The old woman helped Equius lay Dave down on a pile of hay. Dave sighed in relief as his head was elevated by a pillow, stuffed with hay. The old woman then examined the wound. After a good minute or so, the woman said, "Ah. Luckily, it's not broken. Just a pretty deep gash. My name is Porrim, and I am Kanaya's mother. This young man will be fine, but will need some stitching and a day or two off doing nothing. Even then, it will still hurt upon walking.

Then, Porrim pulled out a needle with some white thread on it. You're probably wondering where she got it. She laced it through Dave's skin, forcefully making the wound connect. After she had gone through about half the wound, she applied some poultice, which contained herbs that Dave wouldn't know if he heard the name. It stung a lot, but Dave managed not to scream. The pain got gradually better, and Porrim finished the wound. Then, Kanaya gave Dave a bowl of soup. He lightly sipped it, enjoying the savory taste. Equius just looked with concern, and denied having a bowl of soup as well. After Dave finished his bowl, Equius pulled out a wallet and asked, "How much?"

The old woman shook her head, denying any payment. "I believe that health is a free right to any human being."

Equius gave her five pounds, even after she declined seven times. "You need it for equipment," was the breaking line. Equius then walked Dave back, figuring that if they ran Dave might get nausea or hit something accidentally. After the walk had been finished, Equius took him to his house instead of the library. He laid Dave down on the spare bed of his one story house. The only other rooms in the house were Equius' bedroom, the kitchen, dining room, living room, and a fairly large closet. It was an adequate size for houses at that time.

That night, Equius made Dave some stew, which he greedily sucked up. Equius laughed at his terrible manner of eating the food. Dave just shrugged. After Dave had finished his meal, he laid back in the bed, attempting to ignore the pain from the new injury he had acquired. Equius blew out the candle and Dave relaxed. The couch was a great place to sleep, but a bed had to be so much better. Dave then succumbed to the grasps of sleep, his leg slowly healing. And then, without one more breath, he was asleep.

* * *

Dave dreamed of riding a white horse down a cobblestone street. Six other men, in suits of armor, followed suit on brown horses. They headed deeper into town, maintaining a slow pace to not tire the horses. The buildings turned into small huts, and soon enough the group had reached their destination. They all dismounted, and the six knight stared at each other in confusion. Dave ignored them as he opened the door and walked in alone. The person behind the counter was absolutely shocked after she noticed who this man was.

* * *

And then darkness again, simply sleep. The dream had come to an end, and Dave would wake up several hours later in the morning.


	8. The Day Dave Comes Back

****Yes, I did the research, and pancakes did exist in medieval times.**

**And yeah, my grammar might be a bit off for this chapter. As mentioned in the previous chapter, I'm sick, I feel like crap, and it's hard to think straight. Once I'm not sick I might run through it to see if I missed anything important.**

**Day 7**

**Recap- Dave got injured while drinking water down at the river, but Equius brought him to Porrim, Kanaya's mother, who is actually a doctor. Dave then spent the night at Equius' house, sleeping on an actual bed.**

**Injuries- Bruises are practically gone, however Dave has a sprained ankle along with a few cuts and gashes in that general area.**

**Current Balance- 18 pounds**

**Days Remaining: 23**

Dave woke up feeling light and refreshed, and he got up to exit the bed when he tried to step but landed on his sprained leg. He yelped out in pain and fell onto the ground. Equius did not wake up from any of this, so he managed to climb back onto the bed without injuring himself further. He loosely held his foot, trying to soothe it from the previous accident. It helped a very minimal amount, and the pain still throbbed through the lowest part of his body. He then lightly stroked it, and that helped a lot more. The pain then dulled down to just a pulsing annoyance, and Dave fell back asleep again.

* * *

Dave was then woken up by Equius, who had started a fire. Equius announced to him that he would be making pancakes. Dave had to admit that pancakes were probably his favorite breakfast meal of all time. Oatmeal was okay, but a bit too bland for him. It was also disgustingly mushy. Pancakes, though, were circles of deliciously fluffy goodness. They were especially delicious when paired with honey. Dave graciously accepted the pancakes, piling honey on top. He savored the pancake, only pausing to have small conversations with Equius, who made himself pancakes and sat to eat with Dave.

Equius ran over the library to get the Italian book, and Dave laid on the couch to read it. Equius had to run the library, and considering Dave couldn't even walk, he had to stay at Equius' house. Dave pretty much spent the whole day learning more Italian, and he was learning about food and the different question words. Equius came back after his job at the library was done, a loaf of bread under his arm. He split it in half, smothering the unhealthy substance known as butter on the inside. He then cut the bread in half vertically, giving Dave half the loaf. He enjoyed the luxury of eating butter again, after eating plain bread for a whole week now. After the meal was done, Dave set off to bed again, with Equius' help. Equius blew out the light and went to his own room, and after Dave got over the leg pain he fell asleep.

* * *

Dirk and Jake waited in the throne room for Dave's arrival. According to Dirk's calculations, Dave was to arrive later that evening. Dirk sat in his throne while Jake sat in a chair down and in front of the throne, but to Dirk's right. The plan was, once Dave arrived, for Jake to go up and basically say, "I told you so!" and then for Dirk to announce their marriage, and their marriage would then be planned for a few weeks or so, and the two would be legally wed, despite the two being homosexuals. A gay king was sure to arouse the citizens of the area, possibly pushing them into a revolt. Dirk and Jake, however, had approximately two-thousand soldiers at the ready, and another eight-thousand in reserves that could be pulled out if needed. Hopefully, it wouldn't have to come to that, though.

Once it was about evening time, the two readied themselves to Dave to show himself. He would probably arrive at evening, if the Strider's assumptions were correct. It was quite possible that he would come crawling to their front door during dinner though. Considering that Dirk couldn't see the future though, he couldn't tell when it would be. Then, one of the servants called the two to dinner. The two started to walk when they heard a loud knock on the door, almost like a thump. Dirk figured it was Dave pounding the door like it was trying to steal his money. Jake opened the door to see a...

tiny baby?

Suddenly, a lone female ran up the path and picked up the baby.

"Oh, royal sirs, I am completely sorry. My child thought it would be a good idea to explore castle grounds for whatever reason, you know how babies are."

Dirk nodded. "No problem. Just try to keep him out of trouble next time."

The woman then said, "Thank you for your forgiveness, King Strider. My name is Aradia. Aradia Medigo. Sorry for the misconception." She said, waving back to the two. Dirk was still curious about one thing.

"What was the thump noise? I'm quo"

One of the guards rubbed his head. "That was me. I tried to dive for the damned thing but I missed and hit my head on the door. And dang, did it hurt like hell. Yikes."

Dirk, Jake, and the guard all broke into a minor fit of laughter. The other guard rolled his eyes. Then, the two went to dinner. It was a delicious and lavish meal for exquisite tastes, for those who could afford it. After the meal, they ate dessert (as always) and walked up to their room. Jake noticed that Dave hadn't come home, and it was getting quite late.

"Uhhh Dirk, Jake isn't here."

Dirk shrugged. "Well he's either surviving still, or..."

"Or what?"

"He's dead."


	9. Dave Walks Wow

**This chapter is short as heck because Dave is doing literally nothing but Italian and trying to walk. **

**Day 8**

**Recap- Dave spent the whole day at Equius' house, trying to recover. He is still learning Italian, although he has made a lot more progress. Dirk and Jake are surprised Dave is not home, and notice the possibility he might be dead.**

**Injuries- Dave has a sprained ankle along with a few cuts and gashes in that general area. **

**Current Balance- 18 pounds (Should be 20, however Dave didn't work today so he doesn't get any money. Simple enough? Good.)**

**Days Remaining: 22**

Dave woke up and pulled off the blankets from his body. After resting there for a moment, he climbed out of bed, landing on his uninjured foot. He hopped over to the couch to see Equius already sitting there.

"Hey Dave. Good morning."

"Good morning to you too. What are you doing on the couch?"

"Sitting, what does it look like?"

Dave chuckled. "Seriously though, most of the time you sit in your armchair."

"I made you breakfast. You woke up quite late, but I can open the library an hour late or so."

Dave asked if he was sure. Equius nodded benevolently as Dave started eating the eggs Equius had prepared. They were, as usual, delicious. Equius then asked Dave if he wanted to play cards, and of course Dave was bored out of his mind so he accepted. The two played for a good thirty minutes, ending up in a tie with no valid victor. Dave was disappointed, and Equius didn't care. He had had fun. He then had to leave, so he left Dave to read the Italian book he was given. He got bored after an hour or so and decided it might be a good idea to attempt to walk.

That, or a very stupid one.

He put the bookmark in the book, it was a plain leather one that was worth a pound or two. He then closed the book and cautiously got up on one foot. Then, very slowly, he started to lower the injured leg. He was about an inch from the ground when he thought,

screw it.

He put the leg down, and lightly shifted his weight over to it. It started to hurt, but it wasn't life threatening. It did still cause Dave some minor agony though. Then, Dave assumed a walking motion. The leg hurt, but walking was an option, although not a stable one. After taking a few laps around the room, he sat back down and continued to read. A few hours later, Equius came in the door.

"I brought bread. Didn't exactly have time for anything else."

Dave nodded, walking over to join Equius in the action of eating lunch. Equius was surprised that Dave could walk on his own, considering how weak he was the day before. Equius congratulated him, smearing the butter on the bread. The same eating arrangement as the previous was assumed, cutting the bread and eating it. After the two were done, Equius went back to his work, and Dave read the Italian book while taking short breaks every thirty minutes to stretch his legs. By the time Dave could walk with just a dull pain, Equius was already back to start cooking dinner. Equius put together some stew again, since it was the easiest and most consistent thing to make. After the meal, the two went to bed.


	10. A Casual Walk

**I was going to make him Gamzee, but I decided that he needed some sympathy so I'll put him in somewhere else.**

**Day 9**

**Recap- Dave is still recovering and learning Italian.**

**Injuries- Dave has a sprained ankle along with a few cuts and gashes in that general area.**

**Current Balance- 18 pounds (Should be 20, however Dave didn't work today so he doesn't get any money. Simple enough? Good.)**

**Days Remaining: 21**

Dave woke up and decided to lay in bed for a bit. Some part of him just didn't want to budge. He relaxed against the relatively soft mattress. It wasn't anything compared to Dave's old bed, but it was still quite comfortable. This was the first time he had really done anything in a while like this, usually he was doing everything but staying in bed. He sighed as he rolled himself into a blanket cocoon, mentally scolding himself for being a child while doing nothing to stop it. The warmth spread throughout him, both the warmth of the blankets and the warmth of friendship. Equius was a person he could gladly call a friend, and brag to Jake about.

It was a win win, right?

Equius started making food, while Dave pretended like he was asleep. Although, he did feel like he was about to fall asleep. When Equius was done with the meal, he lightly shook Dave saying, "Rise and shine, sleepyhead." Dave refused to budge. The warmth was too great, his laziness also too great. Equius sighed and then left the room, and a few minutes later he left the house to go to the library.

Dave decided that it was time to stop being lazy and do something productive in life.

He sighed and sat up in bed, grabbing the plate Equius got for him. He started to eat when he realized something.

"God damn it Equius you forgot the fork!" Dave yelled to no one in particular.

He reluctantly got out of the bed, trudging over to the kitchen where he grabbed said utensil. The trip brought him minor pain, but much less than before. Then, he was able to dislodge a large portion of scrambled egg and shove it in his mouth. He repeated the action until the food was all gone, then he enjoyed the piece of bread Equius had included. He washed his dish in the sink then hung it to dry, and decided to get started on his Italian again. He opened the book to his previous page, indulging in the written goodness, metaphorically.

Dave was learning how to say places, like bakery and winery and the related. These words would probably be the most helpful for asking for directions, considering he ever went to Italy. Dave made a note of doing that when he was a legal adult, sixteen was decent but still not enough to travel alone. After shifting his reading position several times, he adjusted to a feasible place and continued reading, saying the words out loud to work on his pronunciation. By lunch, Dave started a one-sided conversation with Equius in Italian. "Ciao il mio buon signore, come è il vostro giorno andando?"

Equius shrugged. "I don't speak Italian."

"E allora, che vergogna. Sembra che la testa di qualcuno è un po'vuoto."

Equius shook his head. "Still no idea."

"Whatever dude."

After Equius left again, Dave figured it would be a good idea to ditch the books and go for a walk. He made a small note to Equius, then left through the door. He missed being with the flowers and the sunshine. Well, he still did. It was cold and windy, and the only things alive were the feral cats running around.

Dang it, reality.

He walked deeper into town, curious of what the people over there were up to. The normal town was great an all, but his adventurous spirit was tugging on him to explore the area he used to be never allowed to go to. And whenever someone's told not to do something, they generally want to do it more. He went around, feeling sympathy for the poor living conditions these innocent citizens were stuck in. Pregnant mothers sick in beds of hay, babies crying, kids kicking around whatever spare objects could at least pass as round. After walking around for two hours and he wanted to throw up. Not because of the people, people without power were generally some of the nicest, but because of just the generally area. Rats were everywhere, dirt was everywhere, soap was nowhere.

Dave kicked a rock as he started walking back to the house. _God damn it, why won't Dirk do anything? Probably too busy with his own luxuries, that's why. Him and Jake with their fancy foods and bubble baths._ Dave's mental scornfest at Dirk and Jake halted when he heard a disconcerting sound in one of the alleyways.

It resembled someone breaking down a window.

Dave's head perked up and his senses became alert. He heard some small footsteps in an alley or two ahead, so he started running until he saw two figures in an alleyway. One was a boy, younger than Dave, probably, with a black mohawk and a shirt with a sign that had a circle with two horn-looking things on it in orange. The other person was older and had slick black hair with a shirt that had a purple wave on it. The taller one seemed to be advanced on the smaller one, who held a fearful glance. A broken bottle lay smashed on the ground. Dave didn't know what to do.

However, his instincts did.

He sprinted up to the taller man, tackling him against a stone wall. His mouth started bleeding and he chipped a few teeth, and it took him a few seconds to recover from such an unpredictable shot. Dave took advantage of this and gave him an uppercut to the gut, sending him staggering back. The younger boy watched in fear and excitement as his attacker received the onslaught from his unknown hero. Sadly, it wouldn't have been that easy.

The attacker had pulled out his weapon of choice- a three inch dagger. He held it with a truly murderous glint in his eye. Dave slid to the right to dodge the first strike, then ducked to avoid one straight to his eye. Dave gave him a straight-on punch to the stomach, making him double over in pain. Dave pushed him against the wall and he was a cowering mess. He stood above the attacker with the power of justice on his side.

"Murdering is against the law and pretty much any moral code. If you promise to never think about doing such a thing again, I'll let you out of this alive. How does that sound?"

The man gave a low giggle. He was obviously drunk.

"Sir, I don't see what you're laughing about. You're in a lethal position and could lose your life if you don't comply."

The man waited for a few seconds without an answer.

Then, he briskly pulled out the dagger, shoving it through Dave. He held the wound with both hands, starting to lose his balance. He widened his stance to stay on his feet. He leaned into the man, using both his hands to try to wedge the dagger out. Dave got it and poised, ready to strike. The other man didn't have a stab wound though, and managed to knock Dave's head against the wall. Blood spurted out of his wound and the dagger flew out of his hand, uselessly clattering against the floor in front of the cowering boy, who could barely look at the perilous strike. Dave's consciousness flickered, and then went out. Blood was his last thought as his eyes closed, not to open up for a while, if they ever did.

_Maybe Dirk was right. Maybe I can't handle it._


	11. Tears of the Ocean, but Love Prevails

**Day 9 continued. A full chapter without Dave, for the first time ever.**

**It's never been done before! Wow! ;)**

The boy snatched up the dagger, making the man dive for it and miss it. The two face each other and locked eye contact. The man gave a drunk chuckle and said, "Haha, you wouldn't dare Tavros." A gleam of defiance was in Tavros eye as he replied, "Yeah? Try me, Cronus."

Instead, Cronus extended his hands. "You wimp. You can't kill me, you're too damn shy. You'll never do anything in life because you're completely worthless."

And with that, for the first time in his life, Tavros felt rage. Pure, ruthless rage. His angelic protector was down on the ground, and he had complete control of how this fight was going. His competitor wasn't even taking it seriously. He unconsciously gripped the knife tighter, and beads of sweat started to drop from his head. He glanced at the knife. He glanced at Cronus, still laughing and pointing at him. Without any second thoughts, he leaped forward, lodging the knife in Cronus' flesh. He gasped as he collapsed on the ground. Cronus laid, clutching his wound, swearing. "Don't underestimate me." Tavros said, staring him in the eyes.

Then he gave a diagonal hack across Cronus' chest. His eyes turned from the abnormal purple to pure white. All movement left his body. Tavros had killed a man.

He fell on his knees, panting and wheezing. Never did he ever want to go through such a traumatizing experience again. He sat there, thoughts, regrets, anger, and relief swarming through his head like a colony of bumblebees. He wasn't quite sure how to feel right now.

Feelings aside, he needed to help nurse his savior back to proper health. He'd bury Cronus later, if Eridan wanted him buried. Even though Eridan was Cronus' son, like Tavros, feelings for him could definitely be better. He thought about how to break the news as he picked up the man and hoisted him up his shoulder. he lifted him through the doorway and into the house, giving him the bed. He took a rag, wet it from a basin, then started cleaning the blood off the blonde stranger. After all the blood seemed to be wiped off, he went to disinfecting the wound. He poured a small amount of alcohol onto the rag then smeared it on the stab. Then, he wrapped a spare towel around Dave several times until the stab was protected by 3 layers of cloth. Then he hoisted the man's head up onto the arm of the couch and went upstairs to Eridan's room.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Eridan opened the door to see Tavros standing there, knife in hand, blood staining his clothes. "Oh my gog, what happened?" Eridan asked.

"I'm not the one you need to worry about."

Tavros led Eridan downstairs so he could see the man who saved him. "Why is he injured? Did you get in a fight with him?" Eridan asked again.

Tavros shook his head and opened the door to reveal a dead Cronus. Eridan's eyes widened as he started to scream. Tavros quickly put a hand over Eridan's mouth to block it. Eridan then fell on his knees and used both hands to turn Cronus' face to him. He then started crying as he hugged the lifeless corpse. Tavros respectfully stood back, patiently waiting for the crying to end. After a few minutes, it had, and Tavros offered to help bury him. Eridan sucked it up and nodded, and the two carried him out towards the creek where they used their crude shovels to make a pit. They lowered Cronus in, Eridan giving him one last glance. Then dirt covered him, leaving him to rest in peace.

The two walked back, Eridan looking at the ground solemnly. A few minutes later, they reached the house and walked in. Tavros lit a fire then set all the candles on. It was highly unlikely anyone was to sleep that night. Eridan then started to talk for the first time since he had first seen Cronus dead.

"Well, Cronus was a good man, until he overdosed on alcohol. Then he just wasn't the man he was used to. Disagreements and abuse came after Cronus got drunk with some of his buddies at a tavern. After that he was completely irrational, getting mad about every little thing. The only time he was approachable was when he was on a hangover, and even then it was usually too bad for him to even talk. Although, he was my father, and we did have good times before he became a drunkard. Hence my five minute crying session, sorry for that. There is one advantage though, to him being dead."

Tavros tilted his head. "What is it?"

"Now I can live with Sollux. I've always wanted to be in a homosexual relationship, but never could because dad would go on an uncontrollable rampage whenever I brought it up. He'll be elated to know we can finally start it."

Tavros nodded. He didn't really have any friends besides Vriska, but she was a mercenary assassin and hunter and generally didn't have enough time to ever do anything with him.

"Well, I'm going to go. Hopefully they're awake this early. I'll make sure to check in as much as possible, okay? Are you going to be fine living alone?"

Tavros nodded. "After Rufioh left to go to Russia on a combat mission, I haven't seen him since. I should be fine. Even then, I have this guy who saved me. I'm sure he won't be able to walk independently for at least a week."

Eridan smiled and said, "See yah!" Then, he waved and ran out. Tavros checked on his guest before blowing out the candles and going to sleep again.


	12. Time is Unknown

**HeirofDoom- Yeah, sometimes I can be a bit unrealistic in my writing. However, Eridan screamed when he first saw the body and started crying for 5 minutes straight, but I might not have made that clear enough. The whole 'living with Sollux' thing was Eridan trying his best to be an optimist. And Tavros murdered him in self-defense, and burying is the most respectful thing you could do to a body at that time. If I missed something important, feel free to PM me and I'll try to clear it up.**

**Also, I haven't updated in a while, sorry. I've been playing Pokemon with my friends and that has taken the majority of my time. If you want to trade or battle, I can send you my friend code.**

**By the way this is a short chapter, with a lot of intro. The chapter's pretty boring too, but you'll have to bear with it because it's kind of important.**

**Day ?**

**Recap- Dave got stabbed in the chest, and has a high probability of dying. Tavros is attempting to nurse him back to full health, while Eridan is going to live with his boyfriend, Sollux.**

**Injuries- Just a minor STAB WOUND.**

**Current Balance- 18 pounds **

**Days Remaining: ?**

Dave groggily opened his eyes to feel a sharp pain in his chest. He rolled up his shirt to find a towel rolled around his chest and a huge splotch of blood. Just looking at it gave him a minor case of nausea. He didn't heave anything up, but felt the strong urge to. He tried to move his body but it was aching and extremely tired, so he only managed to get a twitch. He sighed as he tilted his head slowly to his left, examining his current place of residence. Dave knew for sure it wasn't Equius' house, for it was much darker and didn't have all of the foreign pieces of art all around the house. He groaned as he laid his head back and fell back into a deep sleep.

* * *

Dave woke up to the touch of someone removing the towels from his chest. He looked at him to see a thin man, slightly younger than him, lifting his body to take the towels out. He flinched at the boy's cold touch on his bare back. The boy jumped before staring into Dave's aviators. After a few seconds, he let out a surprised exclamation.

"Omygodyou'realive!"

Dave weakly chuckled. "Hell yeah I am."

"Phew. You were out for 4 days. I would've taken you to a doctor, but my dad blew our money on alcohol and they'd get suspicious of a man with a stab wound."

Dave nodded. His reasoning made sense.

"Well, anyway, I'm Tavros. I've been taking care of you this whole time. I thought I lost you."

Dave would've shrugged, but his limps felt like clay- heavy and liquidy. "Yeah, I don't go down that easily."

Tavros slowly nodded. Then, his face froze. "You haven't eaten, have you?"

Dave shook his head, and Tavros ran to the kitchen. He started a fire as quickly as possible, then started making some food. He kneaded some dough as the fire reached its pinnacle. After he put it on, Dave's stomach growled as he smelled the delicious smell of something edible. When Tavros tore him off a small piece of bread, he greedily gobbled it down. Tavros was supposed to feed him slowly, as he had learned before, but decided it didn't matter as he gave him half the loaf. Dave ate that just as fast as he leaned back to his resting position on the couch. Dave then decided to ask about what had happened after he got knocked out.

"Hey Tavros, what happened after I went out?"

Tavros' smile turned neutral.

"Well, I guess you have a right to know. After you got stabbed, I got the knife and killed my guardian."

Dave's jaw dropped.

"It's not as bad, uh, as it seems. He was an alcoholic, and he was abusive, and every little wrong thing I did he would jump on me."

_So this is what they have to go through. That's terrible, I wouldn't live after that..._ Dave thought.

Dave closed his eyes again and fell asleep. Tavros re-applied the towels, just in case the wound started bleeding.

He couldn't help but notice how well-built Dave was, though.


	13. No, I can't

**Day 14**

**Recap-Dave is recovering, although still practically immobile.**

**Injuries- Just a minor STAB WOUND.**

**Current Balance- 18 pounds**

**Days Remaining: 16**

Dave woke up again with a dull, pulsing pain in his chest. He moaned as he failed to sit up. Tavros came over with a plate with some bread and some peas. Dave gingerly ate the food he was given, for his whole body was sore and was not cooperating with his mind. Afterwards, Tavros took the plate and washed it. Tavros then took a chair next to the table in front of the couch.

"Uhhhh, good morning. Well, afternoon. You slept through morning."

"Unnnghhh," Dave moaned.

"Do you need anything?"

"Some water might be nice, thank you."

"I'll go get it immediately."

As he walked down to the river with a barrel to fill with water, he started to think about Dave. _I know I shouldn't like men but Dave is just so handsome. His structure is so built, his skin soft and the perfect shade of cream. Is he a homosexual? I could make it very awkward if he isn't. After all, being gay is supposedly a sin, according to some of the town rumors. That's why a lot of people are against the king though. I don't know. I guess I'll just have to cross those bridges once I come to them._

Tavros had then reached the river. He placed the barrel on the riverbed, and let it flow until it was nearly full. He hoisted it up and put both of his hands under it, struggling to lift it. After successfully climbing the hill, he made it back to the house.

"I'm back Dave," Tavros said, setting the barrel down and running a cup through it.

"Hey Tavros."

Tavros brought the icy cold water over and gave it to Dave. He gulped it down, letting the freezing liquid soothe his dry throat. After a few minutes, he started to shiver.

Tavros looked up from his book to see that Dave was shaking. He realized it was because of the water, and he needed to heat Dave up.

_I could wrap my arms around him and we could share body heat..._

_No. I'll make a fire._

Tavros went to the fireplace and tossed some logs in. After twisting a rod to get some heat, he tossed some leaves on to get the flame going. Soon enough, it was roaring like a lion showing dominance.

Dave gradually stopped shivering and then drifted off to sleep. Tavros admired his sleeping figure. His blonde hair, rising and falling chest, even his breathing mouth. He carefully swept one of his soft locks off to the side to get a view of all of his face. Tavros blushed then put it back.

_No, I shouldn't be doing that._

After a while, Tavros got tired and was about ready to go to bed. After drinking a bit of water and using the bathroom, he went up the stairs and slowly fell asleep.

**Hey guys! Extremely short chapter, mainly Tavros lacking bravery and feeling sorry for himself.**

**Sorry, it's been 2 months since I've updated. First I had writer's block, then my interest in Fanfictions fluctuated, plus a bunch of other excuses. I would like to apologize for the inactivity, and I hope you all enjoy what will happen in the future. Hopefully I can put this capsized boat back on course and update at least once a week. Make sure to Like, Comment, Subscribe, Review, Follow, and friend me on ROBLOX. Lol.**


	14. A Job for Tavros?

**TIMESKIP! I want to finish this fanfiction, especially since I've already gone so far and I just got a new follower, and it makes me feel really guilty that I've left this in a standstill. Maybe I'll even make a sequel if popularity spirals. Probably not.**

**Day 18**

**Recap- Dave is getting better, almost able to walk again. Not quite though.**

**Injuries- Just a minor STAB WOUND.**

**Current Balance- 18 pounds**

**Days Remaining: 12**

A certain figure stood in front of a door. After finishing boarding the door with a large sledgehammer, he sighed and started walking. Normally at this time, he would be walking home and falling asleep to be ready for the next day. However, today he would be inspecting something. Normally, every day, a certain person would come to his shop and stay the day. However, the person had recently stopped.

"Dave, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Equius jogged through the town, deeper and deeper into the slums. It was the only place he thought he could find Dave in. Unless he had, for some reason, left town without notice. Equius trusted Dave enough to know he wouldn't do that. After a miraculous jog all the way down town, he turned back. He would have to shut the shop and search in broad daylight, otherwise he would get mugged or stolen from. 10 minutes of running later, he wiped his sweat off with a towel and collapsed into bed.

* * *

Dave was ready to do this. After taking a few deep breaths, he slung his arm around Tavros and tried to walk. The stab had weakened him significantly, and almost any motion sent him spiraling into pain. Dave endured the additional stabs of pain with every step, eventually reaching the other side of the room and landing on the couch with a loud sigh of relief. After taking some deep breaths, he laid back on the couch. Exhaustion spread frantically throughout his head, and he entered sleep very soon.

Tavros went to the kitchen and started making some food for the two to eat. However, he noticed he was running low on funds.

_I'll have to go out and work again. Maybe I can find a job where I only have to work for a few hours._

After he finished cooking, he set down the food on two separate plates, ate one of them, and left to go find some work.

* * *

Dave woke up a few hours later to find that Tavros was gone. He saw a plate in the kitchen, but realized he would have to walk there.

"God damnit Tavros!"

He forced himself up, enduring the pain as he took small steps. After a long journey, he eventually reached the food.

"Remember me to punch the kid later."

He plopped down in a chair, munching his food. Annoyance purged through him, but he couldn't genuinely get mad at Tavros. It was hard for him to get mad at anyone, except for maybe Jake. After he finished his meal, he put the plate next to Tavros', and began the exodus back to the couch. With his eyes filled with determination, he took the first step back to the legendary couch in which he could slumber upon.

* * *

Tavros was walking around town, looking for work. He went to a farm, but was declined because they already had enough workers. He went to a bakery deep in town, but was declined when they found out he didn't have any professional experience at a prior establishment. Eventually, he went deeper into town to find a small seamstress. After a small job interview, the owner said she would think about it. At that time, he noticed it was getting dark, and he headed back to his house to tell Dave he had gotten someone who had considered him.

* * *

When he got back, Dave was awake and reading a book. Tavros started a fire to make dinner as he told Dave the news.

"You wouldn't believe how hard it is to even get considered for a job. I had to go to a few different places until someone said they'll think about it."

Dave nodded. "I had a job at a library before I got stabbed. In fact, he's probably worried. We might want to visit soon."

Tavros agreed. "We can go tomorrow."

After dinner was finished, Dave walked over to the table slowly to eat with Tavros.

"This is the first time I've eaten at a table in a week or so."

"Yeah, staying on a couch for that long must make you jittery."

Dave nodded.

"I'll keep walking, and hopefully the wound collaborates after a while. It might take a bit, but it seems accomplishable to walk eventually."

And with that, Tavros chuckled.

After dinner was finished, Tavros cleaned the dishes and went upstairs to sleep.

* * *

_Tavros was sitting in a field, enjoying the flowers, the fresh breeze, and the light chirp of birds. Everything seemed so calm and peaceful. Tavros turned his head to see Dave staring right back at him. A smile erupted on Dave's face as he stared into Tavros' eyes, and just then Tavros realized they were holding hands. He blushed, but Dave seemed completely comfortable in the position. Dave looked up at the clouds, pointing at one and saying something inaudible. Tavros wasn't interested in the clouds though._

Tavros woke up with a smile on his face. It turned neutral, though, when he realized it was a dream.

_There's no denying it anymore._

_I'm flushed for Dave._

**Oh snap!**

**Is it mutual?**

**If you like the story, please follow for further updates! Also, make sure to check out my other story I'm updating: Exodus!**

**Thanks for reading, and have a great day!**


	15. food

**To be honest, I don't think I need the intro. I've had it for a while, but it has never really served a valid purpose. The most important thing will be right before the chapter itself.**

**Also, I made this at 8 in the morning, so sorry if the quality is low. I'm not fully awake yet.**

_**Day 20**_

As Tavros went out to see if he got the job or not, Dave had a plan. It was a pretty risky one, but he had confidence that it might work. _Might. _If Tavros got accepted, he wouldn't be back until sunset. And this was his time to act.

Dave checked his pockets. He still had 20 pounds or so. After throwing on a jacket that Tavros had gotten from Dave (mainly for covering his scars rather than staying warm) and stepped out the door, making sure to bar it so that it looked abandoned. Thieves were everywhere, nowadays. Couldn't have one take Tavros' valuables after all he had done for him.

Dave went out to the bakery he had gone to before, getting a loaf of bread and some pastries. As he continued walking, he limped slowly, careful not to trip or over-aggravate his wounds further. He then went to another place and ordered some stew, and Dave held it in the bowl with both hands and had the bag with the bread and pastries on his fingers. By this time, the pain on each of his steps was increasing, and he realized he needed to get home soon. He was approaching the alleyway as his legs started exploding with pain. Dave took the next few steps slowly, grimacing at every impact. He reached the door, setting the items down on the ground and setting himself down too.

He needed a break, and he god damn deserved one.

He sat, undoing the lower nails on the door to get some progress. He took deep breaths as he sat down on the ground, slowly but surely regaining endurance in his legs. Finally, he got up and undid the other nails. Dave picked up the food and walked inside. He lit a small fire and put the stew on it, not sure when Tavros got off work.

_Wait, he isn't back yet._

_He got the job._

_He got the job!_

Dave smiled as he fell backwards on the couch. The pain from earlier today had exhausted him greatly, and his eyes closed soon after his head hit the pillow Tavros had provided for him.

* * *

Dave woke up to see that Tavros was not back yet, so he decided to start readying dinner. He broke the loaf of bread into two, gave each person a pastry, and separated the stew into two bowls and put them on the plates. He also used two cups to get water, placing them beside the plates. He sat down at one of the chairs, waiting for Tavros to arrive. He read his book, soaking up the information and stories inside it. His reading was interrupted when he heard the door opening.

"Hey Dave, let me make d-"

Tavros looked at the couch to see that Dave was not there.

"Dave? I got the job."

Dave snickered, looking at Tavros trying to find him. He went up to the couch, and looked under the covers.

At this point, Dave couldn't hold his laughter in any longer.

Tavros turned his head to see Dave sitting at the table with...dinner already made?

"Did you make this?"

Dave shook his head. "Bought it."

Tavros sat down across from him. He looked at the food with amazement.

"Well thanks. I never would've expected that."

"Yeah, it took a decent walk, but I think it was worth it."

"You could've killed yourself!"

"That's true, but did I?"

"I guess not."

"Then let's dig in!"

The taste of the bread reminded Dave of Equius, when he worked for him. He would always eat the loaf of bread whole, with nothing else. However, this time, he dipped it in the stew. The resulting taste was savory with an excellent texture. He did it again, not quite as good this time, but still amazing. After he finished his portion of the bread, he started eating the stew. The stew was classic, with potatoes, carrots, and chunks of delicious meat. The vegetables' textures were soft, but not too much so. They provided a small crunch but then provided some of the broth blended in with the inside.

Then, Dave went for the pastry. It was flaky, delicious, and the filling was fresh and sweet. Afterwards, relaxed back in his chair.

"Ah man, that was amazing."

Tavros only nodded, since he was still eating and his mouth was full.

"Well I think I'm done for the day. The walk has me exhausted."

Dave walked over to the couch, wrapping himself in blankets. He let the warmth consume him before falling asleep. Soon after, he fell asleep.

Tavros also decided to call it a day, retiring up to his bedroom. After reading for a bit, he, too, fell asleep.

**For some reason, I can't get my chapters as long as I can with my other fanfictions. Maybe it's because I'm limiting the time frame to one day. There's only so much that can happen in that short of a time period. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The end is coming near, so expect things to progress!**


	16. It's time

**I just want you all to know that I'm going to get something going and do some potential timeskips, so I can finish the story but try to keep it as non-rushed as possible. I've been focusing a lot on my other story, Exodus, so please check that out.**

**too lazy to put in the statistic intro thing**

As soon as Tavros woke up, he knew it was the day. No more pointless waiting, no more embarrassing dreams. Whether or not Dave would accept, he was going to ask him out. Doubts swirled like a cyclone through his head, but he did his best to ignore them and go downstairs. Upon reaching the bottom, he walked into the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. After finishing, he walked over to the couch, admiring Dave a few seconds before waking him up by rustling his hair.

"God damn it Tavros," was his response.

Tavros chuckled. "Breakfast is ready, so unless you want to starve, I suggest you get your butt out of bed and to the kitchen table." Tavros then turned to walk to the table to sit down. Dave stayed in a half-propped position before shaking his head and following him to breakfast. After the meal was finished, Tavros slung his coat on and got ready for work.

"Hey Tavros, can I see your workplace?"

Tavros thought pensively for a second.

"You're gonna have to stay there the whole day, unless you can manage yourself."

"I was gonna see Equius once I got bored. Maybe I could give you his library's address and you could visit?"

"Sounds fair. You got somewhere to write it?"

"Nope."

Tavros got out a sheet of paper, a quill, and a bottle of ink. Dave used his most legible handwriting to make out the Zahhak's address, and Dave then got on his red hoodie and prepared to go. The two both walked out the door, feeling a brisk gush of morning air. Although it was cold, it was refreshing. The two took a morning walk down the gravel paths for a few minutes until they reached the place. And Dave recognized it instantly.

It was Kanaya's Seamstress shop.

Tavros opened the door for Dave, who walked in and waved to a shocked Kanaya.

"This is my friend, Dave. I take it you've met him before?" Tavros queried.

"Indeed, I have seen him before. He is the one I spoke about who gave me a generous tip that one time."

After the two shook hands, Dave sat in the back and watched Tavros and Kanaya work. They were making some kind of hoodie, like Dave's except it had a different design. It was a light blue, with a sort of wave in the middle. Around lunchtime, Dave left to go eat some lunch and see Equius after a week and a half. After picking up some pastries and bread from Jane's Bakery, he headed over to the original library where he spent the first half of his challenge. For the second time of the day, a person wore a shocked face. Equius had witnessed Dave Strider, a friend he thought he was dead, waltz into his shop and casually wave to him. He then picked up a book, opened it, and jumped sideways onto his couch.

"I thought you were dead."

"I thought I was dead too. The stab wound was pretty deep."

"You got stabbed? God damn it Dave, you need to be more careful. You freakin' got stabbed! What did you do, waltz into a fight between two alcoholics?"

"I'm okay though!"

"You almost got yourself killed!"

"And for the record it was one alcoholic and a teenage boy."

"You ACTUALLY GOT INTO A FIGHT ON PURPOSE?"

"Well I couldn't just leave hi-"

"Call one of the guards for goodness' sake!"

"I was in the slums of town."

Equius turned around and took a deep breath.

"Why were you in the slums?! You should know it's not safe!"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I saw someone in need and I went to help them. I'm not the kind of person who can just leave someone swinging in the wind!"

Equius sighed. "Real humble, Strider."

A small smile appeared on his face. The two went up and hugged each other. After pulling back, Equius spoke again.

"You know, I've been missing your antics."

"I know you have."

"Dave, you just ruined our bro sympathization moment right there."

Dave slightly nodded.

"Do you still need to sleep on the couch?" Equius asked.

"I don't know. The guy I saved is taking care of me, but I might be well enough to leave. I'll ask him when he comes."

As soon as he finished the sentence, Tavros walked in to see the two talking. He walked up to the foreign figure.

"I take it you're Equius? Pleasure to meet you. I'm Tavros."

"The pleasure's all mine, nice to meet you too."

After some chatter about themselves, Equius brought up the previously-mentioned topic.

"So I heard Dave was staying at your place."

"Yep." Tavros nodded.

"So now that he's better, you want him to stay here? I can take him if you want."

"I can keep him, if he wants. It's of no inconvenience to me."

"That settles it then, thanks for visiting."

"Thanks for having us. Great talk."

After waving back to Equius, the two walked back to the house and made dinner together. While they were eating, Tavros decided to bring it up.

"Hey Dave, I have something serious to talk about."

"Hmmm?"

"Well, you see... I'm a homosexual."

"It's getting more and more common. People will bring you down for it, but ignore them."

"The thing is..."

"You're scared because people will judge you? Don't care what they think."

"Dave. I'm gay for you."

Dave paused, his eyes invisible under his aviator shades.

Tavros continued. "I understand if you're not, you're, uh, probably straight, so hopefully we can still stay friends."

Dave was still immobile.

"Dave?"

Dave got up, and Tavros jumped as he thought he was going towards the door. He eased when Dave passed it, and the two looked face-to-face. Dave slowly took his aviators off, brown eyes meeting red ones.

"You're the only one who knows except my older brother."

"Why would you show me though?"

Dave put his aviators back on.

"Because I'm bi."

"What does that have to do with-?"

Suddenly, Dave lunged forward, grabbing Tavros' shoulders. Before Tavros could react, Dave locked his lips on Tavros', who moaned before deepening the kiss. The two pushed towards each other, but Dave pushed harder, flinging him onto the couch in surprise. Dave leaped onto him, trapping him between a couch and a smoking-hot bisexual. Tavros couldn't fight back, even if he wanted to. Their tongues danced in each others' mouths, rubbing each other in a fight full of pleasure. Eventually, Dave got less and less excited, and he decided he wanted more.

Dave slowly moved his arms down Tavros' back, until eventually his hands wrapped around his rear end. Tavros yelped, and Dave used the opportunity to advance on him. Dave pushed him deeper and deeper into the couch. Then, Dave decided it was time. He moved his fingers up to the zipper of Tavros' pants, pulling it down and undoing the button. As he pulled them down, Tavros broke off.

"Not yet, I'm sorry."

Dave got up straightening his hair. "Even then, that's phenomenal for a first day."

Tavros blushed. "Yeah..."

Tavros walked up to his bedroom, while Dave lounged on the couch, smiling.


	17. Last Actual Chapter

**I'm gonna wrap this up and add an epilogue, because juggling two stories at once is difficult.**

**If I finish Exodus, I might make a sequel though, and it will be a story that isn't as rushed as this one. (Then again, most chapters were filler, to be honest)**

**Sorry m8s.**

**Hopefully this is a good enough finale. **

Dave woke up earlier than Tavros a few days later. As he remembered what happened on the previous day, a smile grew across his face. His mind vividly repeated the scenes, filling him with excitement and urges to repeat the experience over and over. As he got up, he looked around, seeing no people in sight. As he went to prepare breakfast, he checked a calendar Tavros pasted on the wall a week or so ago. He stopped for a second. As he squinted to confirm his hunch, the date was correct.

It had been a month.

He threw on his hood and wrote a note to Tavros.

_I've got some important business to attend to. Stay safe at home, babe. _

_P.S. I've got something planned tonight. ;)_

He chuckled upon his usage of babe for a male.

After making sure he wasn't missing anything important, he stealthily closed the door, making sure not to disrupt Tavros' sleep cycle. And with that, he treaded down the city roads, concealing his identity. Upon reaching the gates to the castle, he saw his older brother, Dirk, and brother-in-law Jake. _Eugh._

Upon arriving, he took a spot in the back, the vibrant colors of his red coat dulled by the wear and tear of dust and dirt. A few minutes later, Dirk started to talk, his face harboring a serious expression, but Dave could see the very slight tug of his mouth downward in a frown.

"We gather this day to mourn the death of Prince Dave Strider. His day of death is unknown, however we know it is in the past month for he has not returned. In a foolish and selfish act, we sent him on a quest he couldn't possibly accomplish. We must now take consequences for our actions and eternally grieve for his poor soul. May I call a moment of silence?"

As all the whispers hushed. Dave carefully treaded up to the front, making as little noise as possible. As the moment of silence was called off, Dirk was about to head back into the castle when a hooded figure rose to the stage.

"How do you know he's dead?" they asked.

Dirk glared at the figure, not able to see their face through the shadow from their hood.

"Because he couldn't possibly have survived and he hasn't returned. Now can you please leave me alone? My brother just died and your unnecessary questions aren't helping."

"Or are they?"

The hood was thrown off, revealing the one-and-only Dave Strider, except he was thinner and more stocky.

A few seconds of silence, until a single whoop erupted from the crowd, afterwards, everyone shouted, clapped, and cried all at the same time. Their prince had not perished.

Dirk and Dave locked eyes for a second behind their shades, not seeing their eyes, but feeling their presence. Dave detected an air of guilt and happiness around him that no one else could see with his poker face. The two went up and had a brotherly hug, earning many cheers and 'awwws' from the congregation of citizens.

"Would you care to speak about your adventures at a feast I'll host tonight?"

"Is Jake okay with that?"

"Jake?"

Dirk looked around, and Jake was nowhere to be found. "I'm sure he would be fine with it. If not, it's his fault for not attending."

After waving once to the crowd, they were escorted by guards back up to the palace. Dave examined the walls, tapestries, chandeliers and the like. It had been a month since he'd seen them, and they filled Dave with memories and regrets, both at the same time. As much as he admired their family's wealth, he didn't want to be pushed into something he wasn't. Living outside the castle just had this air of freedom and excitement, and it was quite the opposite here. After comparing his thoughts, he came up with a decision.

* * *

Tavros woke up later than usual, walking downstairs to find that Dave was not there, eating breakfast, sleeping, or reading. He panicked for a split second before he noticed a slip of paper with writing on it. After closer inspection, he found it was a note from the shade-wearing coolkid himself.

_I've got some important business to attend to. Stay safe at home, babe. _

_P.S. I've got something planned tonight. ;)_

Tavros profusely blushed after reading the last part, taking a few minutes to recollect himself. The promise of something planned made Tavros giddy, but Tavros realized he didn't have anything to do for the whole day after work. After checking his wallet funds, he decided he had enough money to stroll around and buy some things later. He put on a coat and started fast-walking to Kanaya's Seamstress Shop.

* * *

Dave sat next to Dirk, who was next to Jake. Despite the cheerful facade Jake put up, Dave could see Jake didn't really want him back, especially after being proven wrong. They feasted on turkey, bread, stew, desserts, wine (for those who were old enough), mead, ale, beer, and many other delectable specialties. Afterwards, when Dave already felt stuffed, dessert was brought out. Pastries galore resided with many other treats that would most likely only be found in a palace among the rich. After finishing, Dave told the story.

All the way from meeting Equius to staying at his library to meeting Horace and getting a job, to fighting in the alleyway to meeting Tavros and slowly recovering from his stab wound, until he finally revealed his biggest secret.

"And then, Tavros and I formed a relationship." he stated as calmly as possible. Afterwards, he looked at Dirk's face, seeing a small smile.

"I'm proud of you, little bro. Not everyone has enough courage to love a man, and certainly not everyone can tell a large group of people, even if they are family. Maybe living on the streets for a bit did go in your favor. There are some things we just can't teach you here."

A small tear formed in Dave's eye, but he wiped it with a napkin as if it were a piece of dropped food, making sure no one saw.

But, of course, Striders always knew. Just by looking at Dirk, Dave could tell he saw it and gave a shrug.

"Today was a very gleeful day. I propose a toast to Prince Dave Strider!" Dirk shouted, holding his goblet up. All the other men at the table stood up with their goblets in return.

"A toast!" They replied simultaneously.

After porcelain clanked against porcelain, everyone took a swig from their glass and dispersed, talking to one another or asking Dave for more details. After everyone had left, Dirk led Dave to the vault, where he provided the Pounds he was promised. Dave put them on a wagon and was about to walk out when Dirk asked him a question.

"Aren't you going to stay?"

Dave sighed. "As great as it is being here, it just isn't my lifestyle. I don't want to rule a kingdom, in a position where one mistake could ruin thousands of opinions. I'd much rather have it affect a small amount, where if I screw up, I can easily make amends.

Dirk nodded solemnly. "Although I assume you and your matesprit will be making or moving into a new house with that money?"

Dave gave a small, almost unnoticeable blush. "I'm not sure if you should call us that."

"Trust me, this is going to last forever. The way you talked about him makes me sure you love him to no end. Once your house is done, I expect to be invited."

Dave chuckled. "Of course, my king."

Dirk laughed. "There's no need for that. You're my brother, for goodness' sake!"

Dave waved to Dirk, pulling the wagon. "See you in a few weeks."

"Same to you." he replied.

* * *

After Dave tugged the wagon all the way to Tavros' house, he opened the door, finding Tavros sprawled out on the couch, his shirt halfway unbuttoned, revealing some of his abs.

"That's not quite what I meant by surprise, but I'll take it."

Dave laid on Tavros, unbuttoning his shirt. Money could wait, but true love couldn't.


	18. Epilogue

**Hey guys! As most stories go, I'm gonna make an epilogue. After all, we need to know what Dave does with that money, am I right?**

Dave woke up to find Tavros in his arms, a musty smell in the air. The event of last night resonated.

_Damn, Tavros is good._

Not wanting to get up just yet, he leaned more in Tavros. He whispered Dave's name in his sleep before leaning into him. Dave smiled, satisfied at his choice yesterday. Instead of living in the castle, he gave up that to stay with Tavros. And it was sure as hell worth it. Dave got out of bed, Tavros unconsciously making a whimpering sound. As he finished getting dressed, Tavros woke up.

"Good morning."

"Yeah, same to you. So, the surprise from yesterday."

"Hmmm?"

"That wasn't the surprise. There's more."

"Mmmm. What is it?"

"Come downstairs and you'll see."

After Tavros got dressed, Dave led him down to the wagon from yesterday. With one swift motion, he pulled off the sheet covering it. Inside was a massive pile of coins. Tavros stared in awe.

"This can't... this can't be real."

"It's real. After all, it came from the King."

"Dave, did you steal... from the King?"

"No, he's my brother."

Tavros stopped. "You must be lying. That's insane."

Dave held up Dirk's goodbye letter.

"You're... The real Dave Strider... The prince..."

"Yep." he smirked.

"Since so many people name their kids after royalty, I thought you were one of us."

"Yeah. Now let's go spend it."

"Well...okay. This is going to take a while to get used to."

Later the day, Dave and Tavros hired a construction company to make them a mansion for 150,000 pounds. While the house was being built, they travelled to Equius' library, plopping 100,000 pounds on the desk in front of Equius, leaving without saying a single world. As they looked back, they saw Equius with that same face of awe. By the time he looked to thank the two, they were gone. When they reached Kanaya's, Dave whispered a plan to Tavros, which he agreed.

Tavros stormed in the back, doing his best to hold a straight face. He threw his hat on the table. "I QUIT!" he yelled.

Kanaya looked at him with a look of confusion. "Why?"

"Because you can hire actual seamstresses now!" he yelled, dropping the bag of 100,000 pounds on the table, storming out. Afterwards, the two walked down the streets, giving 5 pounds to every person they saw. By the time they reached their home, they had a little over 50,000 pounds left, to buy food for life. The two tiredly laid in bed, holding each other.

"Today was an eventful day..." Tavros sighed, looking in Dave's eyes.

"Yeah..."

Soon after, the two fell to sleep.


	19. END

**Well that's that, and the story is over! Since this story received a decent amount of attention, I may potentially make a sequel. However, I first have finish my other story, Exodus. If you guys could check that out if you haven't, the wretched disease known as 'Writer's Block' may be repelled for enough time for me to make more chapters.**

**xD**

**Basically, the sooner I finish that, the sooner I start a sequel for this.**

**Thanks for listening.**

**~OverlordMiles**


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